My Savior
by Sariasprincy
Summary: Since the death of her mother, Sakura's life has been hell thanks to one person anyone least expected. And the person she least expected will save her. Non massacre. ItaSaku.


Sorry about not updating for a while you guys. Something very serious has happened in my family and things have been out of control. So I'm probably not going to be posting much anymore, **which includes Angel Child** (unless I get inspired).

Another thing, I'm not really into Naruto anymore because everything has gotten so.....how to say this....dumb. Sorry.

But I'm like a total Trekky and the new Star Trek movie totally has me writing fanfictions for that so I'm probably going to start posting some of those if you want to read them. They're probably all going to be some type of Spock x Uhura (I don't know what their shipping is call so if anyone knows, please tell me).

Thank you all for everything.

~ Love, Sariasprincy

* * *

**My Savior  
****Theme Number 50: Fortitude**

Sakura closed her eyes as Kenji, her father, yelled at her. His voice was rough and loud as he screamed at her, scary enough to sent shivers of fear up the spine of even the toughest men, but she didn't flinch away from him. His dark eyes were wild with rage and his cheeks were tinted a slight pink at the exertion of energy he was putting into his hollering and, from the smell of alcohol on his breath, the liquor he had consumed.

"Dad," Sakura said quietly as she reopened her eyes to meet his gaze, "please calm down."

She felt his chakra flare dangerously as he seized her wrist in a bruising grip that was sure to leave a mark. "Don't tell me to calm down, young lady! You are my daughter and you will not tell me what to do!"

"I'm nineteen, dad; I'm not telling you what to do," she said smoothly.

Kenji shook his head in fury and turned his back on her. "What would your mother think if she saw you acting like this?! Yelling and telling me what to do!"

The pink-haired kunoichi took a deep breath and slowly followed her father into the next room. He was leaning over the sink in the kitchen, emptying the contents of his stomach with a sickening noise. Though many years working at the hospital made Sakura immune to it and she stood back and waited for him to finish.

"Maybe you should lie down," Sakura suggested when Kenji stood up right again.

His chakra spiked again in anger and with the speed of a shinobi he grabbed the vase on the kitchen windowsill and threw it at Sakura with precise accuracy.

The speed of it surprised her and at the last moment she ducked out of the way and cringed when it hit the wall with a loud, sharp, shattering sound. Time in the house seemed to freeze as Kenji fainted from a dizzy spell and Sakura realized whose vase it had been. Poignant tears formed in her eyes as she watched the black glass of her mom's favorite vase glint from the moonlit outside.

"No," Sakura whispered as she knelt down to touch a shattered piece.

Her heart twisted in a painful knot as she gathered the pieces into a pile. She could hardly see through her blurred vision as she picked up the broken pieces and threw them into the trash. The pain tried to take her breath away, but she pushed it down as she used her chakra to pick up her father to lay him on the couch before she walked to the front door and put her shoes on.

Sakura looked back at her father for a moment as she grabbed the door handle. The picture of him passed out drunk on the couch was too much for her and she quickly glanced away as she finally decided this was going to be the last night she visited him. Then she walked out into the midnight air.

* * *

"Are you all right, Sakura?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura looked up from the paperwork she was helping her old mentor with and gave her the most convincing smile she could. "I'm fine. Why?"

The Hokage raised an accusing eyebrow. "You're quiet today."

"Is that a crime, Hokage-sama?" she said teasingly, though her heart wasn't put into it.

Tsunade seemed to not notice her lack of enthusiasm and she groaned in annoyance. "How many times have I told you not to call me that, Sakura!" she whined, throwing a heavy medical book at the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura yelped in surprise as it hit her on the head and she threw it back playfully as the door opened. "What was that for?" she laughed, her good mood back.

"Am I interrupting?" a voice said from the entrance.

The two women paused in their mini fight to see Uchiha Itachi was standing in the doorway. Immediately they composed themselves and Tsunade motion for him to come in. "What can I do for you, Uchiha?"

As the Uchiha approached the Hokage he glanced at Sakura, his eyes asking her what she had been doing yesterday that made her so busy she could not join his team for their mission. "Team Eight finished the mission successfully," he informed her, handing her a scroll. Tsunade took the manuscript from his hands and opened it without a word, obviously eager to know what had happened. "It is too bad Haruno-san could not join us yesterday."

Tsunade looked up from the document and also glanced at the pink-haired kunoichi. The blonde woman knew that Sakura had been too busy with something to join Itachi's team as usual on their mission, but had no idea what, only that it had been important.

"I apologize for my absence yesterday," Sakura said calmly, her voice giving away nothing, "but it could not be avoided. I can assure you it will not happen again."

Itachi calmly scrutinized her for a long moment before giving a nod. "I will hold you to that than."

Tsunade nodded once at Itachi. "You are dismissed."

Then her team captain disappeared is a puff of smoke, leaving the two women alone once more. Sakura could feel the curious gaze of her old mentor, but she didn't look up to meet it. Apparently, Tsunade understood it was personal for she too returned to her work without a word. Though that only lasted a couple of seconds. "Itachi's pretty hot, huh?"

Sakura's head snapped up and she threw the Hokage a disbelieving look. "What?"

"Don't you agree?" the blonde woman asked with a raised eyebrow.

A blush tinted Sakura's cheeks and she quickly turned to her share of the paperwork again. "Well, yeah. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing," Tsunade shrugged. "I just wanted to get your spirits back up."

Sakura looked and her mentor and smiled. "I think it worked…"

Tsunade grinned before returning to her paperwork.

* * *

Kenji had been abusive to Sakura since her mom died a few years ago and it had been hard for her to follow his 'request' of going over to her childhood home to visit him once a week. He was very stringent of Sakura going to his house every Friday and would punish her if she showed up late; she was almost two weeks overdue. It had been ten days since Sakura had seen her dad and luckily she hadn't run into him; she didn't know what would happen if they met, only that it would be bad.

As Sakura walked down the fairly full main street of Konoha she sighed and raked a hand through her hair. People were hustling through the darkening busy streets, talking, gossiping, and having a good time as they shopped in the busy market place.

A small smile came to her face as she watched a little girl run across her path to her father and point at one of the many stores, chatting excitedly about how she wanted to go in. The man smiled at her innocents and quickly followed as his child grabbed his hand and began tucking on him to come with her.

The moment lasted only briefly and when she finally came back to herself a sense of loneliness came over her. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and she pushed them back forcefully as she set off for her destination: the Uchiha compound.

When Sakura came into view of the clan's magnificent estate she looked up to see Itachi was coming from the opposite direction. She sucked in breath to call out to him, but stopped when she remembered how anti-social he was and how if she started a conversation with him it would end up being one-sided.

She had only taken a few steps when a voice sounded behind her that stopped her heart and sent cold, fearful shivers up her spine: "Haruno Sakura, where have you been?"

Sakura inhaled a sharp breath and fear flashed across her face before she carefully blanked her expression and turned around to come face-to-face with Kenji. "Dad," she said with a smile, "how are you?"

His glare was cold. "Don't give me that shit, Sakura! Where the hell have you been?"

"At the hospital working, Dad," she said calmly. An angry aura wrapped around her father and she almost turned and ran when his expression became murderous. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to come and visit, but I-."

She was cut off mid-sentence when his fist connected her left cheek. The force of it knocked her off her feet and the ring he wore on his right index finger cut across her cheek, making it sting not only from the hit, but from the gash it left in its wake. A painful shock jolted up Sakura's leg and she cringed mentally when she realized the fall had sprained her ankle.

"I don't want you at my house anymore!" Kenji yelled. "How could you break your mother's vase like that? It was her favorite possession, the only thing I have left of her, and, because you couldn't control your anger, you destroyed it!"

Angry tears threatened Sakura's vision, but she pushed them back. "Me?" she whispered. "Me?" she repeated, her voice a little louder. "Because of me? No, because of you!" Sakura yelled, looking up at him. "Because of you, everything has been destroyed. You don't know how to control yourself anymore, dad!" Fury was boiling in her veins, setting the suppressed feelings of hurt on fire. "You never think of anyone else; you just see your pain!"

Kenji's rage grew. "What are you talking about? When your mother died you could care less. You didn't lose her like I did. My heart broke in so many ways that it-."

Sakura's eyes flashed. "My heart can't possible break when it wasn't even whole to start with!"

His hand wrapped around her wrist in a deadly grip and he forcefully pulled her to her feet, her wrist making a harsh snapping sound. Sakura let out a small gasp as she felt the bone break, but Kenji ignored it and began dragging her toward his house. "Come with me. I'll show you heart break."

"Don't touch me!" Sakura screeched.

Kenji raised his fist to strike her and automatically she closed her eyes in anticipation as the breath caught in her throat. She felt the blood from the gash on her cheek continue to bleed as she waited for the blow to come, but all she heard was a sharp smacking noise. The pain never came.

Slowly, Sakura cracked her eyes open to see a hand was holding her father's fist in their grasp and they snapped fully open when she realized it was Itachi. Her eyes shifted to his face and she stared in alarm at his intense expression. His eyes were a dark, dangerous black that made her breath catch in awe. She'd never seen him look so angry before and she was only thankful it wasn't directed at her.

"Release her at once," Itachi commanded in a menacing tone.

Immediately, Kenji let go of her wrist. Sakura quickly pulled her hand to her chest to cradle it as the pain of his grasp finally set in. She saw her father try and pull away from Itachi but he wasn't letting go.

"If you ever touch her again I can promise you it will be the last thing you do," the Uchiha stated in a deadly voice.

Sakura saw Kenji visibly flinch as Itachi let go of his fist. He glanced at her momentarily before he looked at Itachi once more only to cringe at his cold expression. Kenji turned and fled as quickly as he could, leaving Sakura and Itachi alone with a few Uchiha spectators who had heard the commotion and came to see what was going on. When they saw Kenji leave, they quickly followed his example and left the scene as Sakura turned her attention to her injured wrist.

"Are you all right?" Itachi asked in a gentle voice.

Sakura let her arm drop to her side. "I'm fine."

"Sakura," he said in the same tone, "how long has this been happening?"

"Not too long," she replied quietly as she turned her attention to the entrance of the Uchiha estate.

Itachi's hand gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. His expression had lost its intensity and his eyes were searching hers, looking for her honest answer. "Sakura…"

She tried to turn away from him, but his firm grasp kept her from looking away. "A couple of years."

His eyes flashed with what looked like realization, but she wasn't sure. "Why didn't you tell Hokage-sama?"

Sakura pushed Itachi's hand away and took a step away from him. She flinched lightly when her sprained ankle touched the ground, but she did her best to wipe the pain from her face. "It's none of her business."

His eyes told her he didn't believe her.

Sakura sighed deeply and her eyes dropped to the ground. "I was afraid for him. If I told her, she'd have him arrested." Sakura wrapped her good arm around herself. "I couldn't do that to him; he is still my father." Itachi's expression was confusion and Sakura sighed lightly as she turned her eyes to the sky. "He wasn't always like this. Before my mother died, he was wonderful, the best father anyone could have. But when she died…everything went downhill after that."

Itachi seemed to sense her despair for instead of questioning her again he stepped toward her and placed his hand on the small of her back. "Come with me. You need to be healed."

Sakura took a step to follow him, but cringed when her ankle touched the ground. He didn't miss her pained expression and wordlessly he swept her off her feet and began in the direction of the Uchiha compound with her in his arms bridal-style.

When they entered the house, Itachi carefully placed Sakura on her feet, but he didn't remove his hands from her waist so he would be ready in case she fell. Sakura cringed slightly as she took off her shoes, jarring her broken wrist slightly, but Itachi didn't make any indication that he had seen.

They slowly made their way to the restroom, Itachi letting Sakura get there at her own speed and when they entered he motioned for her to sit on the counter. Obediently she followed his command and waited quietly as he left the room to retrieve whatever supplies he needed. He came back a few minutes later with disinfectant and an ace bandage and set them on the counter before he reached under the counter to grab a black washcloth.

Silently, Itachi wetted the cloth and pressed it to her cheek to wipe away the blood. Sakura watched as his eyes darkened in concentration. They appeared to solely be fixed on what he was doing, but a moment later he spoke softly: "Is that why you missed our mission a few weeks ago?"

"Yes," Sakura murmured quietly.

He gave no reaction that he had heard as he set the cloth down and reached for the disinfectant. He dampened another cloth with the medicine and carefully dapped it on her cheek. Sakura hissed as it produced a sharp pain and quickly Itachi took the cloth away. "Sorry," he murmured.

She braced herself as he patted her cheek with it again.

When Itachi finished, he made a few hand signs that Sakura recognized and she watched in amazement as his hand lit up with healing chakra. She froze in shock as he touched his fingers to the wound and closed up the gash. His chakra felt warm and comforting and it helped sooth away the stinging pain she had been feeling.

"You know how to heal?" Sakura asked.

Itachi gently picked up her wrist and examined it. "Enough to stay alive." He paused as he measured the extent of her injury. "I can heal your fracture, but it will still be sore until you see a medic."

Sakura didn't reply as she watched Itachi's expression harden in concentration. A similar feeling of comfort came over her as his chakra healed the bone in her wrist back together, but it faded when Itachi jarred her ankle slightly. She hissed lightly and he quickly readjusted his hold, murmuring an apology.

"I cannot heal your ankle," Itachi said, grabbing the ace bandage from the counter. "Sprains are more difficult."

The kunoichi watched as Itachi's skilled hands easily wrapped up her ankle and when he finished Sakura attempted to slide off the counter, only to be stopped by Itachi's hand on her shoulder.

"You should not walk on your ankle until it's properly healed," he said calmly.

Sakura raised an eye brow. "I have to get home, Itachi-san."

He shook his head. "I already had Sasuke set up the spare room. Besides, it is unsafe for you to be alone until your father has had the chance to calm down."

She opened her mouth to argue, but he gave her his 'won't-take-no-for-an-answer' look, and she quickly changed what she was going to say. "Okay, fine. You win."

Itachi's smirk was haughty and she glared at his arrogance. He always had to win everything and boasted about it. He didn't literally gloat about it, but his expressions were enough to make someone want to smack him; Sakura had even seen Shisui attempt to once.

Just as Sakura was about to get off the counter, Itachi fluently picked her up and carried her down the hall. She gave a yelp of surprise and objection, but Itachi didn't follow her request and kept walking down the hall with the same smug smirk on his face.

When they reached the last room on the right, Itachi pulled the shoji screen aside before he walked in, letting it fall closed behind him. He carefully placed her on the futon and grabbed the blanket at the foot of the bed before he covered her.

As Itachi stood to let her sleep Sakura grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back down to knell next to her. "Thank you," she murmured quietly. "For everything."

"You have healed me many times on missions; it is fair I return the favor," he replied smoothly.

Sakura shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

Itachi was quiet for a time before he unexpectedly leaned down and kissed her forehead. It was a tender, innocent kiss and it lasted for only a few seconds. "I promise I will always protect you, Sakura," he said quietly.

As Itachi stood Sakura spoke: "Then stay."

She heard the Uchiha freeze for a moment before his footsteps sounded once more. To her great disappointment they weren't going towards her like she expected, but away towards the door. Carefully, Sakura turned her back on the doorway and buried her head in the pillow as she heard Itachi blow out the lantern next to the door as he made his exit. Silence regained in the room and she thought she faintly heard Naruto and Sasuke arguing from somewhere in the house, but her concentration was broken when someone pulled the covers back and laid on the futon next to her.

From the scent she realized it was Itachi. He stayed.

Gently, he wrapped an arm around Sakura's waist and pulled her against him. She smiled lightly at feeling her body fit perfectly into his and gradually her body relaxed. His body heat consumed her and his masculine scent wrapped around her like a physical form as Itachi held her tightly against him.

"Thank you," Sakura murmured as she felt herself drift into sleep.

Itachi's lips pressed to her throat lightly and he chuckled. "Get some rest, blossom. In the morning, you will be making it up to me."


End file.
